Gulf Tanker Set Afire; Freighter Sinks

MANAMA, Bahrain — Iraqi warplanes set an Iranian tanker ablaze in the Persian Gulf, and a Greek-owned freighter crippled by Iranian gunboats sank while under tow Thursday in seas churned by a fierce sandstorm.

The 15,241-ton freighter Mare, registered in Panama, went down in about 60 feet of water off the United Arab Emirates, salvage executives said. It was set afire in the attack Saturday in the northern gulf, and the crew abandoned ship.

The Mare was about 25 miles from its destination, a shipyard at Dubai, when it sank at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday during a sandstorm that battered the southern gulf, salvage officials reported.

Winds of up to 40 m.p.h. kicked up 11-foot waves, and visibility in some areas was less than 15 feet, according to the United Arab Emirates weather bureau.

Iraq’s raid on the tanker was its 18th on Iranian shipping since Jan. 1 and the first this month. More than 400 ships have been attacked by both sides since the Iran-Iraq War began in September, 1980.

In London, Lloyd’s Shipping Intelligence Unit identified the target as the 25,651-ton Mokran, owned by the Iranian government’s tanker company.

Lloyd’s reported a fire in the engine room and crew’s quarters and said the Mokran was being assisted by tugs.